Roller skate construction



Dec. 12, 1950 H. R. MILLER ROLLER SKATE CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. '7, 1946 INVEIYTOR. anyRjYzZZer Dec. 12, 1950 H. R. MILLER 2,533,277

ROLLER SKATE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 7, 1946 3 Sheets-Shae; 2

I N VEN TOR.

Harg 1?. Heifer w .5/ may Dec. 12, 1950 H. R. MILLER 2,533,277

ROLLER SKATE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 7, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED ,ATENT FFj iE 1 fire'eer t injehtion re'iate it roller ek'afte's of inexpeiiiv'e are yet grey and dpra-hl eonstri'l cti oin, suitable fer eh l'dre'nand beginners. hn-obje t of the prese t i ve'n the to increa'ise the durability fofthe roller ekat arfdtof ate its assembly, and -'a-1 ,o to eliminate "chatter and wear -int-he roll-er lgaftes', in aetualuse, F For thepnrpose of illustrating the present Yenti'on, there is shown in the accompanying drawing one exemni'i fyinfg thereof, although it is to be 'uncierstoogi that the varidus instruin'entaiities of which the invention consists can he variously arranged and organized and that the inrentionfi's not limite'd to the precise arrangements and organizations (if the instrumentaliti'es aeherein shown and d'e'scribefd. I v I In the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts} a H v v v Figure 1 represents a ide eTevationm iew of a roller skate embodying the present invention,

Figure 2 represents a View, in lon itndinal var: tie'e1'c'ross'-secti6n "online 2 2 6f Fig'iire 3,

Figure 3 represents a perspecive 'view of 'a'rolier skate embodying the present invention,

i ure '4 represents mp "03 blan new (if the -same,

Figure 5 represents? View, in front end eleifa tion, Idok'ing'toward the fear. J i v Fig'ii're 'G reij'resents a View in vertie'a'l lateral cross sect'io'non line 6- -6 of Figure *4, I

Figure 7 re'brese'nts' av'i'ew, in longitudinal vershowing a 'ebrfiion of the relief skate 'o'ii ajfi zenlar'ged "scare, I I

Fi'g'fire 8 represents a "erase-section en Tine 8-4 of Figure i, Y I

Figure 9 represents top plan View of one of the two sheet-metal meme-brackets, before the axlegr'ipping tabs are bent upwardly therefro'm igure 10 re resents a secti eri on line ln'"l0 of Figure '5, on an enlar'gedscale, I 4

Figure 11 is a perspective View of the adjustrn'ent bolt connecting the tde' pl'a'te and the heelb fie, v I

Figure 12 represents a front view of the U- s'hapei journal-bracket before assembly to the chassis. In the embodiment of the present 'invention, the roller skate comprises two "chassis members l and 2, res pect'ivelly, theichassi's member 1 being t the front and the h'asfsi s member 2 bei g, at the rear theforrner fconsti'tutiiig 'a Support for the toe'and ban-oi the root while the rear n'iemher 2 'cenetitntes a sn'prior't for the heel of the foot. Each bf 'the two Chassis members I and 2 is P rb' 4 claims. (Cl. ESE- 11227) v'ifiecl with an eite'h'idn 3 aiiii 4 rebetiyely, which are channeled, and \Xrhich overlap the other eh'al'ss'i's member; the ohannel 5 ana '8 extending i'ri't'o th'e' respetif/e ha'sis member and heeting 11 6 each ether, thereby to fdrni ion'it rial e3:- tensible guides, to keep the tivo Chassis memo-ere iengitudm'ai alignment with each other. The 'ohahfie ls preferably have Slightly inclinefl si d e ii/ails '7, so that when the tire ci ia sfs rri'embe'r-s are eeured 'tb ea'oh ether, in any adjiiste'd p'o'sit'ion, by means 6f the bolts 8 "anti wife-mt; 9, they will be ile'ii'ed int?) e'a'eii other to prevent anj swerve-e may or ieosehess beet-Bee channel. t

The eh'ann'els are iireiera'bii b iaroportien'eij. in respeet to each other, that the one channel area's me quite terrain in the other (namel in the enamel in which it i *fi'etedn. This iii-- sures tight "five'd'g'ing ne enema-e1 member Within the other.

I'h' head's Hi er the me 8 are flattened, on tit/0' fiarallei Sides, as infiieated in Figfire 11, the flattened portion being just beneath the member p art bf the 'heaei, anti heme 6f "such transverse c lir'nens'ion between the ""fi ts, s5 that the hate fit snijglkr, ye'tjsliii'eabiy wit in the elongated "siots 1 2 of the upper me whereby I tee? from tiii me, while the overhanging fa'art 6f he head, beyond the flats, engages the 'eiias'is inetr bi ad'ja'eeiit the skits.

'rhe iower' a r-aegis i, in turn, has sir'r'iila'r 51ers M and i5 reetfetiVeI-S' the fiankingisid ee of g y the at po'rtibns of the tb tighten the "two "dries-sis members t6 each ether.

The lower or the we teases iri'emloers, that the eha's's'i's -"member whieh is evefleia ea By the 55th fio'n'i abofle, which, in the particffi'ar 'i'l lu s tra on thedrew-ifi's', is chase'is meinber "I, it iao fire'fk'erablx? E1 pr'ees'ed in an 'area H, which i: e1 5, extreme slightly bethe channel 5, s'fi'fficientto accommodate the extension 4, a'nfl re a depth substarftially the thiokn s of the het-Yhtfl of which the exteneji o n made, s'b that the am footre'st portions 'i 8 and 1'9, be the trout a '61 rear Chassis members ll and will be slihs'tantiai'ly in a ingle plane, or ee piana I v Te-eaehof the chassis members 1 and '2 "a gen-- era'liy U=shaped jeurnalghracket 2e and airesp ecti feljy, is seeu're d, in the manner hereinafter described, for supporting, "preferably non-revoIv ably, the front and rear aXTes 22 and 23, resyjectively.

Each or t'he We generally u shape-:1 journal;- brackets anti 2-: is rem-ea or sheetmetai or suitable gage and has upper flanges 24, extending outwardly from each side, preferably with a stiffening or bracing web 49 of generally U- shaped cross-section, pressed across the bend of the flange 24 and the leg of the U of the bracket, preferably at about an angle of 45, to resist bending or flexing of the leg of the U of the bracket in relation to the side-flanges of the bracket. Each of the flanges 24 has pressed upwardly, thereinto, two or more weld-projections 25, which are raised just sufliciently above the surface of the flange to form an advanced electrical contact before the body of the flange itself makes contact with the chassis plate to which it is fastened in welding operation, and a dowel projection 26 of preferably greater height, and of a height more or less that of the thickness of the chassis plate.

The chassis is provided with a dowel hole 27, to receive each of the dowel-projections 26. During assembly, the dowel-projections 26 are set into or telescoped into the dowel holes 21 and the welding electrodes of a spot-welder adjusted to align with the weld-projections 25, and in the welding operation the weld is affected through the projection 25, which are thereby fused and flattened to the contiguous surfaces of the chassis-plates, and the dowel-projection 26 thereby driven in the dowel holes 21. By this means, the fore-and-aft shearing strain created between the journal-brackets and the chassis-plates, in actual use of the skate, is borne to a large extent or shared to a large extent by the dowel-projection 26, thereby relieving the spot-welds of the shearing strain, and more nearly relegating the spotwelds to the function of resisting tension tending to separate the flanges 24 from the chassisplates; thereby creating a more durable structure from the standpoint of ultimate use, and at the same time aiding in the quicker and less expensive assembly of the skate in course of manufacture.

The journal-brackets, when formed out of flat strip-metal, have a central hole 28 punched thereinto, in the center of the base of the U.

These central holes serve to space the cut length of strip-metal for the punching and forming operations (in the various dies and fixtures), namely, in the die-formation of the projections 25 and 26 and also in the bending of the piece to form the U and also to form the flanges at the top of the U. The diameter of the hole 28 is preferably made slightly smaller than the diameter of the axle 22 or 23 for the reasons hereinafter pointed out. Either simultaneously with the formation of the hole 28, or in a subsequent dieoperation, a pair of cuts 29 and 3B are formed more or less tangent to the hole 28 and parallel to the long sides of the strip-metal of which the U-shaped journal-bracket is formed. Thereafter, the strips or tabs 3! and 32 formed by these cuts 29 and are bent upwardly to form axlegripping tabs, but they are preferably not bent out fully, that is not quite to a right angle to the base of the U, so as to permit the insertion of the axle through the axle openings or holes 33, which axle holes are preferably formed in an inwardly pressed annular portion 34 in the sides of the U.

The length of the tabs 3| and 32 are such that when bent out at a right angle to the base 35 of the U, they will be wedged tightly between the axle and the base 35 of the U, with the fork-like terminal portion of the tab straddling the bottom of the axle and with the tops of the forks perhaps slightly spread apart while being jammed into place because the curvature of the tab forming fork being of slightly smaller radius than that of the axle. This wedging of the tabs 3| and 32 also slightly tensions the bottom 35 of the U and perhaps slightly bows this bottom 35 of the U downwardly to create a constant upward pressure upon the axle through the tabs 3! and 32. The purpose of this construction is to prevent the axle from turning in the journalbracket or in the supporting bracket 2! or 22, and also to prevent the chattering of the axle within its supporting holes 33, and to prevent the wear of these holes by the harder axle.

The axle-gripping tabs 3| and 32 also act as a lateral reinforcement to prevent the relatively thin sheet-metal U-shaped brackets 20 and 2! from swaying laterally under the lateral force induced by sharp turns and braking action in the act of skating.

The wheels 35 are preferably formed of flat sheet-metal wheel discs 3'! and with intervening spacer discs 38 loosely threaded on the axles Z2 and 23, as shown in the drawings. and 23 are preferably formed of hardened steel or case-hardened steel, and are preferably provided with an hexagonal integral head 39 at one end and an hexagonal non-integral threaded nut 40 at the other end; this end of the axle 23 be-- ing similarly threaded, with the threaded end of the axle peened over on the nut 40 to prevent the nut from turning loose or unthreading; the nut 49 being threaded onto the axle just to the point where the discs 31 are free to revolve upon the axle with a minimum lateral clearance between discs 3! and 38, and between the innermost spacer washer 38 and the side-walls of the U- bracket, and between the outermost disc 31 and the head 39 and nut 40.

The discs 31 may also be hardened, but are preferably somewhat softer than the surface of the axles 22 and 23. The discs 31 are preferably made of steel and may be hardened at their outer periphery for road-contact, while their inner portions, surrounding the axle-receiving holes 4| thereof are left soft or unhardened, although, if desired, these discs 31 may be hardened throughout.

The rear chassis member or heel-supporting chassis member 2 may be formed with an upturned rear-heel-abutment 42, in the nature of an upstanding flange formed of the same metal with strap-receiving slots 43 therein, through which suitable strap 64 with buckle or other fastening 45 thereon, threaded through the slots 43, for embracing the ankle portion or the instep portion of the foot of the user.

The front or ball-supporting chassis member 5 may be similarly provided with strap-receiving slots 55, through which a similar strap 41 may be threaded in the manner indicated in the drawings for embracing the toe portion foot or shoe of the wearer.

In the front toe supporting portion 18 of the front chassis member I a reinforcing and a nonskid embossing 48 may be impressed (with a suitable die) either downwardly as shown in the drawings or upwardly. This embossing or grooving serves to stiffen the toe portion of the front chassis member and also serves to give a better frictional engagement between the toe of the shoe and the toe of the skate.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be The axles 22 beyond the sides of said bracket and constructed tom of the axle and to prevent the axle from rotating.

2. A roller skate including a sheet-metal chassis, a pair of generally U-shaped axle-supporting brackets secured to said chassis, each of said brackets having aligned axle-holes in the sides thereof, an axle extending through the holes of each bracket and constructed and arranged to carry wheel-members upon its protruding portions, and a pair of spaced axle-gripping tabs integrally struck out of and extending upwardly from the bottom of each U-shaped bracket, said tabs having notches formed at their upper ends in alignment with the axle-holes and constructed and arranged to engage the bottom of the axle, said tabs being constructed and arranged to tension the bottom of the bracket so as to exert an upward force upon the axle and thereby to prevent the axle from rotating.

3. A roller skate including a sheet-metal chassis, a pair of generally U-shaped axle-supporting brackets secured to said chassis, each of said brackets having laterally-extending flanges formed at its top, said flanges having dowelprojections extending upwardly, said chassis having dowel-holes formed therein to receive said dowel-projections, an electrically spotwelded junction between the contiguous surfaces of each of said flanges and the undersur faces of the chassis, each of said brackets having aligned axle-holes in the sides thereof, an axle extending through the holes of each bracket and protruding appreciably beyond the sides of said bracket and constructed and arranged to carry wheel-members upon its protruding portions, and a pair of spaced axle-gripping tabs integrally struck out of and extending upwardly from the bottom of each U-shaped bracket, said tabs having notches formed at their upper ends in alignment with the axle-holes and constructed and arranged to engage the bottom of the axle and to prevent the axle from rotating.

4. A roller skate including a sheet-metal chassis, a pair of generally U-shaped axle-supporting brackets secured to said chassis, each .of said brackets having laterally-extending flanges formed at its top, said flanges having dowel-projections extending upwardly, said chassis having dowel-holes formed therein to receive said dowel-projections, an electrically spot-welded junction between the contiguous surfaces of each of said flanges and the undersurfaces of the chassis, each of said brackets having aligned axle-holes in the sides thereof, an axle extending through the holes of each bracket and protruding appreciably beyond the sides of said bracket and constructed and arranged to carry wheel-members upon its protruding portions, and a pair of spaced axle-gripping tabs integrally struck out of and extending upwardly from the bottom of each U-shaped bracket, said tabs having notches formed at their upper ends in alignment with the axle-holes and constructed and arranged to engage the bottom of the axle, said tabs being constructed and arranged to tension the bottom of the bracket so as to exert an upward force upon the axle and thereby to prevent the axle from rotating.

HARRY R. MlLLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 508,617 Hoerle Nov. 14, 1893 674,728 Bryant May 21, 1901 1,061,951 Spacie May 13, 1913 1,597,213 Staples Aug. 24, 1926 1,673,405 Davis June 12, 1928 1,807,890 Berger June 2, 1931 2,104,536 Coldwell Jan. 4, 1938 2,254,450 Ronish Sept. 2, 1941 

